This document discusses the planning and assessment of library open houses at LSU Libraries from 2014-2015. It describes how the planning committee used data collected from previous open houses to set goals and make improvements for subsequent events. Key findings include increasing attendance from 318 to 618 students by adding incentives, spreading stations across floors, and improving publicity. Student surveys provided feedback that was used to enhance interactive activities and address issues like overcrowding. Data-driven decisions helped increase participation rates and students' awareness of library resources and services.

1. Planning a Library-
Wide
Open House: Data-
Driven Decision Making in
Action Rebecca Kelley
Business Librarian
rkell25@lsu.edu

2. Fall 2015 LSU Libraries
Open House

3. LSU Libraries Open House:
The Basics
• Students visit various stations set up
around library and learn about the
services and resources we provide
• Fun and festive environment
• Spring 2014 – Mardi Gras theme
• Fall 2014 & 2015 – Halloween theme
• Provide incentives, such as food,
entertainment and prizes

4. Open House pilot
Spring 2014
• No formal goals or objectives
• Planning committee
• Would students participate?
• How many students would attend?
• Would they visit stations on all floors of
library?
• How to encourage participation?
• Could this be viable annual event?

5. Spring 2014:
Mardi Gras
theme

6. Data Collected
Spring 2014
•Check-in statistics
•318 registrations via card swipe
•35% completion rate visited at
least 10 stations
•54 students visited all 20 stations

7. Data Collected
Spring 2014 – Student Survey

8. Data Collected
Spring 2014 – Student Survey
69% agree or
strongly agree

9. Data Collected
Spring 2014 – Student Survey

10. Data Collected
Spring 2014 – Student Survey
• “I loved it. It was fun.”; “Please do it again!”
• “The food was delicious”, “king cake attracted
me to attend”
• “I really wish this had been done years ago.
I’m graduating this semester, yet I found so
many useful resources that would have mad
my life so much easier.”
• “Great event”; “The event was informative.”
• “I think is was useful for students who have
not taken LIS 1001.”

11. Data Collected
Spring 2014 – Student Survey
• “It would help if the tables were spread out
more. Most of them were all grouped
together on the first floor. Because of that I
quickly went to a bunch of them. But I also
didn’t bother going to the ones on the
second and third floor.”
• “I only found out about the event the same
day. Where were those flyers the previous
days?”
• “I would have preferred group station

12. Data Not Collected
Spring 2014
• Station visits (# of visits per station)
• observations of library staff
• Student classification
• Undergraduate or graduate
• 88% said open house increased their
awareness of Libraries resources, but what
did students learn?

13. Fall 2014 Open
House

14. Goals and Objectives
Fall 2014
• 500 registrations via card swipe
• Spring = 318
• Increase the completion rate to 45%
• Percentage of students who visit the set
minimum number of stations (12 of 20)
• Spring = 35% (10 of 20)

15. Decisions
Fall 2014
• Day and time (Wednesday, 11-2)
• Change layout
•1st
floor was too crowded
•Spread out stations evenly throughout
floors
•Kept same number of stations

16. Decisions
Fall 2014
• How could we increase attendance?
• make it fun (Mike the Tiger, costumes,
decorations)
• free food
• more prizes
• Improve Publicity
• Graphic designer
• Banner, more flyers and slides, extra
credit

18. Data Collected
Fall 2014
• 618 student registrations!
• Exceeded goal of 500
• Spring registrations = 318
• Completion rate = 62%
• Exceeded goal of 45% (12 of 20 stations)
• 240 students visited all 20 stations!!
• Spring completion rate = 35% (10 of 20)

19. Data Collected
Fall 2014
• Station Visits:
• 20 stations on four floors
• Visits spread evenly across stations &
floors
• Average visits per station = 336
• Circulation on 1st
floor (380 students)
• Continuing Ed./LSU Online (298 students)

20. Data Collected
Fall 2014 – Student Survey

21. Data Collected
Fall 2014 – Student Survey

22. Data Collected
Fall 2014 – Student Survey

23. Data Collected
Fall 2014 – Student Survey
One thing learned from participating?
• “A lot of cool resources that I pay for and don’t
use”
• “Not all librarians are scary”
• “if you can not find something in the library…
they will track it down and get it for you”
• “You can borrow laptops and chargers for free”;
how to reserve study spaces
• Subject librarians, library databases, microfilm,
special collections, music library, oral history

24. Data Collected
Fall 2014 – Student Survey
Was there anything you disliked?
• Crowded lobby
• Ran out of prize bags
• Not enough food or wrong kind of food
• Worried that they were disrupting other
students

25. Data Collected
Fall 2014 – Student
Survey
Additional feedback
• “Very interesting, friendly, informational”
• “Very fun event and it was nice to see all
of the library staff get excited about their
areas.”
• “A lot of fun and definitely will be back!”
• They liked food, candy, decorations and
look forward to future events.

26. Fall 2015 Open House

27. Goals and Objectives
Fall 2015
• 650 registrations via card swipe
• Fall 2014 = 618; Spring 2014 = 318
• Increase the completion rate to 70% (10 or 13)
• Fall 2014 = 62% (12 of 20)
• Spring 2014 = 35% (10 of 20)
• Increase the percentage of students who visit all
stations to 50%
• Fall 2014 = 38%; Spring 2014 = 17%

28. Goals and Objectives
Fall 2015
Objectives
• To educate students about the many resources
and services available to LSU students
• To highlight these resources and services by
sparking student interest in ways that are both
engaging and entertaining
• To publicize the Libraries in a fun and festive
setting
Target audience
• LSU undergraduates; specifically first year

29. Data-Driven Decisions
Fall 2015
• Participant-based changes
• Activities at stations – students wanted
more interaction
• More participation prize bags &
changes in distribution
• Ran out early in 2014
• Continue to focus on fun, food and
prizes

30. Data-Driven Decisions
Fall 2015
• Change layout
• Lobby crowding issue
• Check-in, check-out, food locations
moved
• Less stations
• Focus on Libraries services & resources
• Station names
• Change from department-based to
function-based (service or resource)

31. Data-Driven Decisions
Fall 2015
• Banner was good investment
• Themed banner
• ROI: $119/618 = $0.19 per registrant
• More social media engagement
• Only 6% of students found out about
event via Facebook and Twitter
• Libraries webpage for open house

32. Fall 2015 Open House

33. QUESTIONS?